Bill Bishop

Founder of Blue Buffalo Company, SoBe Beverages and Sierra Communications

Like a lot of self-made successful businessmen, I’ve been able to achieve a level of success that is well beyond what I ever imagined. And while my business achievements and financial rewards are certainly gratifying, the most important thing, by far, has been building a loving and supportive family relationship over 55 years of marriage. My two sons worked with me since their graduation from college, so they have both seen and participated in the work and dedication that it takes to build companies from scratch to ones which justify an IPO and/or Strategic Sale.

And while they are all good kids, my five grandchildren have no understanding of how our family got to a stage of financial independence that will allow them to follow any path that they desire without regard for financial compensation or wealth accumulation. This situation led my sons and I to discuss how best to let their children, and future generations, know how we got to where we did in hopes that they would have a greater appreciate of what they now have.

The answer we gravitated to was a book…one which chronicled my life and all of the experiences that put me in a position to become an entrepreneur at the age of 55 and start the companies that enabled our family to achieve both financial and personal independence. After investigating potential resources, Legacy Literature was clearly at the top of our list. 

Legacy’s founder and primary writer, Rob Cocuzzo, has been the editor and lead writer for Nantucket’s N Magazine for ten years during which time he has written interesting and insightful profiles of some of America’s most important and influential men and women including Joe Biden, Bill Belichick and many others. Rob has also written a number of biographical and non-fiction books which illustrate his unique ability as a storyteller.

Working with Rob is both easy and interesting. After an in-person meeting and review of some of the books he has written, we had weekly calls which lasted an hour and worked off a subject outline to keep our calls productive and book development on schedule. We also got together to review historical family photos and scrapbooks kept by my grandmothers recording my high school and college athletic achievements. And he devoted significant time to researching the key news events that were taking place at various times during my life which added some real context to what I was doing. 

The depth of this process is what separates Legacy Literature from any of the other “life story” publishers, and which results in a book that is truly interesting reading. I would recommend Legacy Literature to anyone who feels that a story of their life would be of value to their family. It’s personally a very satisfying experience, and will allow future generations to understand and appreciate your contributions to their lives.